Escape Tourist Hotspots on a Quiet Winter Getaway to Kanab
Experience western charm and rugged adventures on an off-season visit to this southern Utah gem.
Armed with a heavy wooden sled, my best girlfriends and I set our sights on a steep, sandy set of snow-dusted dunes in Southern Utah. We’re kicking off a winter weekend at Kanab’s Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park after a rare storm blanketed it in snow.
We’ve heard tales about sandboarding down this red-hued sand in summer, but we’re here to make a go of it in the cold. After renting a sit-down sled model at the park entrance (because we value our lives and limbs) we take off on the “slopes” — no lift ticket or chairlift required.
“You’re on!” my friend Kelly yells as she starts recording my descent. I start sliding and the wet snow adds speed, spinning the board out of control and launching me into a somersault. Luckily, sand is soft and I somehow catch myself, land back on, and laugh-cry all the way down. The other three women have better luck, managing to stay on, but they can’t contain their giggles.
While others are sand-sledding alongside us today, Coral Pink’s remote location and chilly temperatures keep it from becoming an outdoorsy Disneyland in winter. And that’s just how we like it. With ski season dominated by crowds, a Kanab getaway marked by solitude and wide-open spaces is just what we need.
So where and what is Kanab, you ask? Let’s get this out of the way first. Say it with us: Kuh-Nab. No, it’s not Kay-Nab or Kuh-Knob.
With soaring red rock cliffs and narrow sandstone slots, Kanab’s otherworldly landscapes and homegrown hospitality draw visitors seeking an authentic American West experience. Known best as the gateway to The Wave — a popular permit-only hike — this Utah-Arizona border outpost is fast rising to acclaim as an outdoor adventure, art and foodie paradise.
Far from everything, but accessible to Zion National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Coral Pink Sand Dunes and Lake Powell, Kanab is an ideal basecamp for exploring southern Utah. Summer is high season, leaving winter as a bastion of calm and quiet in this small town. (Read: "How To Visit Southern Utah in Winter")
So whether you were rejected in the battle to get a permit for The Wave, or aren’t bothering to enter, you can escape crowded destinations and explore Kanab’s wondrous caves, canyons and toadstools in mild winter weather.
"With soaring red rock cliffs and narrow sandstone slots, Kanab’s otherworldly landscapes and homegrown hospitality draw visitors seeking an authentic American West experience."
The Toadstools Hoodoos offers families and adventurers an easy, flat 1.5-mile hike exploring otherwordly geological sandstone formations.
Escape crowded destinations and explore Kanab’s wondrous canyons in mild winter weather.
Hike the Toadstools
Kanab’s guidebook and poster-famous Toadstools are more impressive in person, especially when dusted in snow. Drive 45 miles south on U.S. 89 from Kanab and follow a fairly easy 1.5-mile roundtrip trail to see these red and white mushroom-shaped rocks up close. While the delicately balanced red one is the most photographed, continue walking to explore more of this toadstool forest.
Explore Manmade Wonders
Hikes don’t need to be hardcore. Belly of the Dragon and the Sand Caves are quick jaunts to cool caves for when you’re short on energy or time. The Sand Caves are adjacent to Highway 89 and were originally dug for mining. Take the short, slippery walk up to explore these sandy cliffside hollows.
Find Belly of the Dragon 16 miles from Kanab under Highway 89. This human-dug rock tunnel is used for drainage from the upper canyon, but inside the rocky passage is a spooky place to explore on dry days. Bring a jacket and headlamp for the cold, dark conditions.
Also along Highway 89, Roam Outdoor Adventure Co. offers a Via Ferrata and rappel experience in Cave Lakes Canyon.
Take an ATV Tour to Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon
Race over sand dunes on Kanab Tour Company’s backcountry ATV journey to Peek-a-Boo slot canyon. Drive yourself in a two- or four-person Polaris RZR through a deep, sandy trail winding past Navajo sandstone to this nontechnical, crimson slot canyon. It’s accessible without climbing, but the canyon’s slender passages and dazzling layered sandstone are just as impressive as anything technical. We’re floored by the quiet power of Peek-a-Boo’s orange and red walls, carved over eons by raging water.
The adventure continues with a drive up undulating waves of red sand. We consider ourselves non-motorized sportspeople, but I see what the fuss is about on sharply banked turns and as we roar through deep dunes. Three hours makes for a perfect ATV intro without getting overwhelmed.
Go Stargazing Under Dark Skies
Channel old west vibes with Adventure Tour Company’s stargazing and s’mores experience at an old movie fort. Kanab was once called “Little Hollywood” due to the abundance of Western movies shot in its desert landscapes. Thirty-five movies were filmed at this fort alone, most recently the second season of “Westworld.” Our local guide, John, picks us up dressed in full cowpoke attire. On the drive to this private canyon, he regales us with stories of growing up in Kanab.
Arriving just before sunset, we take in red cliff vistas behind the dilapidated fort as we learn calf roping on a metal dummy roping stand. As the sun drops below the sandstone cliffs, John lights a fire and readies a s’mores buffet — complete with homemade marshmallows — for roasting. Stars begin to light up the night, and soon Kanab’s dark sky reputation shines. John points out the “Great Conjunction,” a rare astronomical event when Jupiter and Saturn appear closer in the sky than in hundreds of years, something we struggled to see in the bright skies of Salt Lake City.
Sledding Kanab’s Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park after a rare snowstorm
Take an ATV tour to Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon
Belly of the Dragon and the Sand Caves are quick jaunts to cool caves for when you’re short on energy or time.
"Outdoor adventures may be your trip focus, but why not do some good too? Kanab is home to Best Friends Animal Society, America’s largest no-kill pet sanctuary."
Best Friends Animal Society, America’s largest no-kill pet sanctuary, invites visitors to volunteer with its 1,600 animals.
Photo: Jenny Willden
Volunteer at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Outdoor adventures may be your trip focus, but why not do some good too? Kanab is home to Best Friends Animal Society, America’s largest no-kill pet sanctuary, and invites visitors to volunteer with its 1,600 homeless cats, dogs, horses, bunnies, potbellied pigs and birds.
A free tour showcases how Best Friends saves and rehabilitates so many homeless animals, and we take a follow-along version in our own vehicle before volunteering at Cat World. While volunteering can mean cleaning and other tasks, it’s often simply petting and loving these felines.
Taking a particularly feisty kitty on a snowy stroller walk through the cat paths is my favorite “job” of the day. Did you know some cats even like walking on a leash? Afterward, amble the sanctuary’s desert trails to see pictographs and waterfalls, or follow the road up to Angel’s Rest, a memorial to dearly departed pets.
Where to Stay
Sego Restaurant
Kanab Creek Cafe
Base Camp Kanab
From the vermilion, white and pink cliffs and wide expanses of Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, to the twisting sandstone bottlenecks of Buckskin Gulch, even the vertigo-inducing views of Zion National Park if you've never been, this six-day itinerary will show you why Kanab is the perfect base camp for adventure.
Highlights
- Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument
- Lake Powell
- North Rim Grand Canyon
- Zion National Park
What's Nearby
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Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, located just five miles north of Kanab, is the nation's largest sanctuary for homeless animals and provides adoption, spaying/neutering, and educational programs. The organization has also been the world’s leader in the no-kill movement for 30 years.
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Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Coral Pink Sand Dunes are open for hiking and kid-friendly playing. About 90-percent of the dunes are open for OHV riders, an attraction for which this state park has become ever popular.
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Coyote Buttes South
Coyote Buttes South was made for experiencing nature in its most pristine form. As compared to the North Coyote Buttes, home of the world-famous Wave, the South has much fewer hikers seeking a permit. Yet the land here is visually stunning and completely enthralling.
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North Rim Grand Canyon National Park
When visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona, the first thing you’ll notice is how peaceful it is, especially compared to the busier South Rim. With most of the North Rim sitting above 8,000 feet in elevation, some say that the views are better here, too. The cooler climate of this region is reflected in its diverse ecology, with evergreen forests made up of blue spruce, douglas fir, pinions, and towering ponderosa pines blanketing the Kaibab Plateau. The North Rim is also home to a variety of wildlife, including deer and elk, and was designated a wildlife preserve before gaining its national park status.
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White Pocket
White Pocket will impress even the most adventurous explorer with its abundant colors and a varied landscape.
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